(no subject)
Trivia questions:
a) Who was the 12th President of the United States?
b) Who was the 5th Masonic President?
Answers to both a & b:
David Rice Achison (Platte Lodge No. 56, MO)
Never heard of him? Bro. Rice was a Senator from Missouri, from 1843-1845.
At 12:00 noon on Sunday, March 4th, 1849, President Elect Zachary Taylor was scheduled to be inaugurated. The problem was that Taylor was a devout Christian and refused to be sworn in on the Sabbath and insisted on being sworn in the following day.
The problem: Who would be President for 24 hours?
Incumbent President (also a Mason) Polk? No, because his term expired at 12 noon Sunday
Incumbent Vice President (yet another Mason) George Dallas? Also no--see above.
According to the law, the job fell to the President Pro Tem of the Senate---Bro. Achison.
What were some of the achievements of our 12th President? Well, according to Atchison: "I went to bed. There had been two or three busy nights finishing up the work of the Senate, and I slept most of that Sunday."
Detractors of this theory will say that in actuality, Achison was never actually President, as he was technically not the President Pro Tem on the 4th; his inauguration as such to be the same day as Taylor's. However... on inauguration day, Achison was sworn it before Taylor--so according to law, Bro. Achison in actuality our President, if only for a few minutes!
a) Who was the 12th President of the United States?
b) Who was the 5th Masonic President?
Answers to both a & b:
David Rice Achison (Platte Lodge No. 56, MO)
Never heard of him? Bro. Rice was a Senator from Missouri, from 1843-1845.
At 12:00 noon on Sunday, March 4th, 1849, President Elect Zachary Taylor was scheduled to be inaugurated. The problem was that Taylor was a devout Christian and refused to be sworn in on the Sabbath and insisted on being sworn in the following day.
The problem: Who would be President for 24 hours?
Incumbent President (also a Mason) Polk? No, because his term expired at 12 noon Sunday
Incumbent Vice President (yet another Mason) George Dallas? Also no--see above.
According to the law, the job fell to the President Pro Tem of the Senate---Bro. Achison.
What were some of the achievements of our 12th President? Well, according to Atchison: "I went to bed. There had been two or three busy nights finishing up the work of the Senate, and I slept most of that Sunday."
Detractors of this theory will say that in actuality, Achison was never actually President, as he was technically not the President Pro Tem on the 4th; his inauguration as such to be the same day as Taylor's. However... on inauguration day, Achison was sworn it before Taylor--so according to law, Bro. Achison in actuality our President, if only for a few minutes!